Bernard von NotHaus, the man behind the Liberty Dollar and the Ron Paul Liberty Dollar, was convicted in federal court Friday of coining and circulating counterfeit money. What fascinates us about this case is the language used by the US Attorney who prosecuted the case. Working for the Western District of North Carolina, Anne Tompkins issued a statement that, among other things, accuses von NotHaus of committing "a unique form of domestic terrorism":

“Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism. While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country. We are determined to meet these threats through infiltration, disruption, and dismantling of organizations which seek to challenge the legitimacy of our democratic form of government.”

The irony of these statements is just breathtaking. Mr. von NotHaus may have charged a few bucks over spot for his silver coins, but no one has done more to "undermine the legitimate currency of this country" than Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve. And it is Ben Bernanke, not Bernard von NotHaus, who "represents a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country." In just over five years, Mr. Bernanke has managed to blow an enormous housing and credit bubble, nearly destroyed the entire world financial system, bailed out criminal bankers who had profited massively from the bubble, and is now working on destroying the U.S. dollar. And most of it has been done behind closed doors (literally), with almost no accountibility or oversight.

Meanwhile, Ms. Tompkins is talking tough about "infiltration, disruption and dismantling" organizatons like Mr. von NotHaus's. Hey Ms. Tompkins, ever hear of the Federal Reserve, Maiden Lane or the AIG "bailout" of Goldman Sachs and Soc. Gen.? We could have used a little bit of "infiltration" and "disruption" on those if we weren't so busy busting up gold bugs and coin dealers. No single organization represents more of a "challenge [to] the legitimacy of our democratic form of government" than the Federal Reserve. Please, audit the Fed.